If Virat believes his runs don't matter he is lying - Anderson

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https://www.cricbuzz.com/cricket-news/103279/if-virat-kohli-believes-his-runs-dont-matter-he-is-lying-james-anderson-england-india-cricket

"It doesn't matter if he gets runs or not? I think he is telling lies there," Anderson noted in a light-hearted manner to PTI. "For India to win here, of course it matters. Virat will be desperate to score runs for his team, as you would expect from the captain and one of the best players in the world," he added.

"Today, cricketers learn from not only watching match footage but also from past experiences. So I would expect a batsman of Kohli's quality to have learnt from that last series here (in 2014). I am sure he (Kohli) is practising hard at certain aspects of his game and that will make the battle between him and not just myself, but him and the rest of our bowlers, a really exciting one."

"We have had a hot few weeks (and a hot summer overall). So the pitches may well be dry and suit India more than us. That is something we will take into account when we come into that series. We will be hopeful that we have a couple of weeks of rain before the series starts and be able to grow some grass on the wickets," he said.

"I think, it is a really difficult one to answer because you would think that the red ball swings more or does more off the seam. But it doesn't work like that. A batsman like Virat plays the ball so late that they have got so much time and they make you feel slow as a bowler. It is hard with white or red ball. (But) sometimes when batsmen are trying to be more attacking in white ball cricket than red ball, you might create more chances. Overall it is hard to say."

Over an international career spanning nearly 16 years, Anderson has bowled to numerous world class batters including modern day greats like Virat Kohli, Joe Root (in county cricket), AB de Villiers, Steven Smith and Kane Williamson. When asked to pick one batsman out of the lot, Anderson said with a smile, "Well I don't like bowling to any one of them to be honest. It is hard to pick one of them because they are all different in their own way. They have all got a lot of qualities. The thing that makes them stand out above other batsmen around the world is how they adapt to all different forms of the game.

"That's what's most impressive to not only be able to score 50 off 20 balls in a T20 but also get a 100 off 250 balls in a Test match. It takes a special batsman and special mentality to do that. So, I will sit on the fence and say these are the best batsmen in the world, and not pick one," Anderson added.

 

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Lol. Anderson talking about Kohli during a massive Roses match. Root and Bairstow fully focused in beating the old enemy. That's why we stuffed them